Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith, who lived and worked in Estes Park for many years, formally announced on Monday his intention to run for re-election in 2014.

Smith, 45, first joined the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy in 1991. He accepted a variety of assignments and was promoted through the ranks of the office to the position of major in 2003. He served in that role for seven years prior to being elected sheriff in 2010.

Since taking office, Smith has been twice elected to the board of directors of the County Sheriffs of Colorado by his fellow Colorado Sheriffs.

Smith counts among his highest achievements the agency’s response to the devastating wildfires and floods in 2012 and 2013. He feels his department was tremendously tested by this series of unprecedented disasters, but kept focus on the overall goal of taking care of the community, no matter what the challenge. Residents have told him that they really made a positive difference, which, for Smith, is truly rewarding.

Smith is also pleased with the way the agency has responded to the financial difficulties of recent years. Like the vast majority of the community, his office has been challenged to do more with less for the last several years. He has been pleased to see how the agency has adapted and how the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office have delivered for their community.

Smith talked with the Trail-Gazette on Monday night in an email interview about his ties to Estes Park and the challenges of his job.

“Estes Park was the draw that brought me to Larimer County 28 years ago,” Smith said. “I spent four summers working up there, first at the YMCA, and then at the Aspen Lodge. When I was hired at the Sheriff’s Office, my first assignment was as an Estes District Deputy. It was where I cut my teeth as a deputy.

“Working there, I learned what being a deputy sheriff was all about, it was about serving the community. A deputy in a mountain district succeeds or fails based on the reputation they earn. During that same time, I worked alongside Chief (Wes) Kufeld and many of his leadership team. In a remote district like Estes, you really count on the officers at the local agencies – you become comrades.”

Eventually, Smith had to make a career decision and that took him away from Estes Park.

“My career at the Sheriff’s Office took me back down to the valley, that’s where I had to go to gain experience,” Smith said. “However, my heart always remained in Estes.

“In 2003, my wife and I made a choice for a big life change when we sold our home in Fort Collins and moved our two young sons to Estes Park to grow up. For the next 7 years, our sons got to grow up as Bobcats. Meanwhile, I commuted back to the Sheriff’s Office in Fort Collins, 5 or 6 days a week.

“When we made the decision that I was going to seek office, we had to make the difficult choice to move back down to Fort Collins. It meant leaving many good friends.

“Larimer County is a very large and diverse county. Even the area around Estes Park has many sub-communities. Over the years, I’ve come to know many of them pretty well. I found that very helpful during the fires and floods.

“When you come to know those areas and the people who live there, you come to appreciate that every community has different needs. I relied on that knowledge during the devastating fires and catastrophic floods. I wanted to make sure that in our efforts to help, we did our best to respect the unique needs of those different communities. Outside of these major incidents, I make it to Estes every couple of months, typically either to speak with a local government official or even better, to speak with a community group. Most times, my presence is not nearly as public as my many flights during the floods or my presence at evacuee meetings during the fires. As long as a large part of my heart is in Estes, my feet will surely follow.”

Smith, like any law enforcement officer, faces a lot of challenges in his job. He said he can draw on his experiences in Estes Park to help him meet those challenges.

“The challenges facing Larimer County parallel the challenges faced by many Estes Valley residents – rebuilding and financing. Like our friends in Estes, we will remain Mountain Strong in the months and years to come.

“In addition to my experience over the years with Chief Kufeld, I’ve also worked alongside the fire chiefs from Estes and the surrounding communities as well as the ER staff and ambulance crews at the EPMC. That makes a significant difference when things get tough. If you trust each other, it’s much easier to work things out during a crisis or when you have differences of opinions on certain issues.

“I would be remiss if I failed to mention that I worked alongside Frank Lancaster for many years when he was the county manager. I have a lot of respect for Frank and we have a very good working relationship.”

About Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith

Smith has a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice and a master’s degree in criminal justice. He is a 2005 graduate of the FBI National Academy and graduated from the National Sheriffs’ Institute in 2012. He is also a former adjunct professor in criminal justice at Colorado State University and has served as director on several local non-profit boards. Justin and his wife, Anne, have two sons. The oldest is a member of the Colorado National Guard and their youngest is a senior at Fossil Ridge High School.